Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STATES HENRY R. HOI/VE, OF HARTWIOK, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,595, dated July 4, 1871.

To all uhom it me@ concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY R. HOWE, of the town of Hartwick, in the county of Otsego and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a speciiication:

rlhe nature and object of my invention consist in the construction of a suitable lever and ton gue, and combining them with the buffers of cars, for the purpose of raising and guiding the connectin g-link without going between the said cars when coupling them together, and thereby prevent accidents to the employs on railroads.

Figure l is a view of the lever and tongue. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the center of the butler, showing the internal arrangements ot' the lever and tongue, and also of the sliding` block, as speci'lied in my former patents.

Same letters refer to same parts in each ligure of the drawing.

A is the butter, which is made hollow, with ila-ring mouth to receive the connecting-link. B is a sliding block inside the butter. C is a spiral or coiled spring inside the butler, which operates the sliding block B, or a rubber spring may be used instead, it' desired. D is a pin which passes through the slot ay of block B, to prevent said block from being pushed out too far by the spring when the coupling-pin is withdrawn. E is the coupling-run, which passes through the connecting-link of the cars. G is the connecting-link. H is the lever, constructed of any suitable 1n aterialbut I should prefer iron as the bestand said lever may be in any suitable way attached to the buffer or platform of the cars. I I are handles on the ends of lever H, by which said lever is operated. J is a tongue on the center of the lever H, and bis a slot or opening in the said tongue which permits it to be raised without coming in contact with the coupling-pin. The end of said tongue is rounded or pointed in such a manner that it will fetch and hold the link in the center when said link is raised by said tongue to couple the cars. ois an opening in the luider side of the buffer for the tongue to opera-te through 5 but the tongue may be constructed and arranged to operate close to the mouth of the butter, which nlight be desirable in some cases, especially when attaching it to old cars, the buffers of which had not been constructed purposely for it.

To use my invention, raise the pin suflicienly high to permit the block B to come under the end of the said pin E on the car which does not have the link in it, and, taking hold ot' either handle ot' the lever on the opposite car, raise a-nd guide the link into the mouth of the buffer, and when said link strikes on the end of block B, it forces it back and permits the pin E to drop through the link and couple the car. Or, if this invention is used on butleis not having the sliding block, the link can be guided by the lever and the pin put in with the hand, and thus prevent jamming the hand, which frequently occiu's when the link is guided by the hand.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The construction of lever H and tongue J, combined with builer A, block B, pin E, and link G, arranged as described and set forth, for the purpose specified.

Witnesses: HENRY It. HOVVF.

CHARLES N. SMITH, SAMUEL HARPER. 

